OPPO to launch its all new F series smartphone this month

OPPO is kickstarting 2016 with a brand new phone that’s going to be revealed in January. Having seen a barrage of R series smartphones (R7, R7 Plus, R7s), the Chinese smartphone maker will be introducing an all new F series that’s focused on “premium-quality mobile photography”.

According to OPPO, the F series will be a core product for 2016. It promises impressive specs and eye-catching style with an amazing price. So could we be looking at an affordable “Lumia Pureview” alternative? At the moment, OPPO has a photography-centric N series that offers a rotating camera module on the OPPO N1 and N3.

From the teaser image above, the F series appears to have unibody metal design and it comes with rounded corners and edges as opposed to having squarish looks like its current R series. The side does look like an iPhone 6/6s with its power and SIM tray slot switched places. In terms of specs, don’t expect it to be a top notch device like its Find series. The OPPO F series will be a mid-ranger which is unlikely to be powered by Qualcomm’s newer Snapdragon 810/820 family of processors.

The first model would be called the OPPO F1 and it could be launched in Malaysia sometime this month. If they are looking to push photography in a mid-range segment, the phone to beat would be the Lenovo Vibe Shot that’s priced at RM1,399. That comes with a 16MP sensor with OIS, Laser AutoFocus and a triple LED flash.